Finished Project #9, Two Painted Doors.

 The door was dark brown.

I like it lightened up.

That cute chair

(the one I got at a vintage shop for $20
or was it $25
or was it $30?)

we had to throw away because of the flood in our basement.

 Cute chair by Pier 1.

Phone by Hello Kitty!

 This is only part of my mosaic wall.

I like this little door lightened up, as well.

I'm still not finished with the wall

but it'll happen, eventually.

I really want to work on more projects,

make things,

finish things

and be more creative

but it's been a tough couple of months

and this is all I could muster this week.

It'll do.

Here are some other things I loved this week:

You gotta love snow monkeys.

Delicate and intricate paper cutting times infinity.

Love this. And this. And this!

I wish I had an Aunt Peaches.

Love Mr. Rogers.  

April Fool shenanigans.

Something about lots of white

appeals to me.

Here. And here. And here!

Charming. So charming. So very charming.

New Recipe #9, #10, #11, #12 and #13

Ok.
This is cheating a little.

But that's the whole point.

I actually put together 5 dinners in ziploc bags,

brought them home,
put them in the freezer
 and later
I actually cooked them.

It's brilliant!
It's called Dream Dinners
and you can find it here.
 My blog.
My rules.

Blooms!

No matter how long the winter, spring is sure to follow.

~Proverb

If by the end of the day you only have one pigtail, it's a good day.

We babysat Little Miss Sunshine today.

She is a fun handful.

She was so hard to capture in a photo.

So busy and so fast.

I asked Davis to get her to smile.

So he did.

My Dad and his favorite child.

My Dad and his favorite child, Pippen.

Yin And Yang Or Something Like It.

Love the warmer weather

and how it makes me feel.

Frustrated with not knowing what to do with a certain kid

(well really, more than one certain kid)

and not knowing exactly how much to push 

and how much to hold back

because yes, somethings are beyond his control

and he is struggling so much

but somethings he is capable of doing so much more.

Excited to be able to go see Hunger Games tomorrow!

Frustrated in not being able to go work out 

and needing the energy and will to do something more

(although I am up to 40 sit ups and push ups).

Heartbroken to see him struggle to even order his food

with a panicked look and confused silence, 

pleading for help.

So very grateful that I am home to "take care of things"

and that I don't have to work outside the home.

Wanting and needing to go out on a date with just the two of us. 

Happy to see little hand prints on a window

and thinking of never washing that window again.

Feeling overwhelmed at times

and knowing it could be worse

(and being grateful that it isn't).

Feeling more than fine at times

and knowing it's all just a part of my life

(and knowing that is how life goes sometimes).

What lies behind us and what lies before us

are tiny matters compared to

what lies within us.

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Hoping what lies within me is enough.

Happy Spring.

 I took these photos yesterday.

We had a skiff of snow in the morning.

I saw that shiny red shovel,

that white top of the mountains,

that ever green of those towering trees,

that scuffed yellow bench 

and that deep blue sky

and it seemed like magic to me.

I wanted that little red outbuilding

 to show up more in the picture

because it looked a lot bigger to me

in real life.

I love LOVE Spring.

I love the longer days.

I love the green as it gets bolder and brighter.

I love finding new blossoms around the garden

(no blossoms yet

 but I found a clump of green leaves from a daffodil plant).

I love all the color

or at least knowing there soon will be color.

I love that it gets warmer

and the sun teases us to take off our jackets.

I love seeing little baby animals in fields 

and I especially love when they kick up their heels,

joyfully run and try to play tag.

I love everything about Spring,

even the snow

because I know it will soon melt

and I can once again see earth,

 new grass and budding plants.

LOVED this too. 
Gah! Love that first picture.
Must. Paint. Walls. White.
Just kidding.
I've only recently fallen in love
with the word and passion of
Gah!
Double Gah!
Okay. Enough of that!
A is also for Adorable and Awesome.
If you look at only one thing.
Look at THIS!
But wait! There's more!
LOVED this. And this. And this too.
This was so beautiful, touching, and poignant
that it almost brought tears to my eyes.
Okay.
Carry on.

Fun with Rian!

We got to babysit again last night.

We had so much fun!

We took our 2/4 kids and Rian to get frozen yogurt.

She LOVED it!

Finished Project #8. Painted Free Stuff.

My friend gave me a bunch of stuff her daughter didn't want anymore.

One of which is a rhinoceros head.

I've seen animal heads all over the place.

I was excited to get my hands on it.

Both items were black with gold specks.

I am planning on using these in my near future craft room.

I think they will be much cuter when I get everything put together.

Two of a kind.

 Just because.

I saw this car in the grocery store parking lot

and just couldn't resist taking pictures.

So, I did.

It's almost Spring...

"The horizon is out there somewhere, 

and you just keep chasing it, 

looking for it, and working for it." 

~Bob Dole

"...the race is not [always] to the swift,

nor the battle to the strong..."

~Ecclesiastes 9:11

"What counts is not necessarily the size of the dog in the fight--

it's the size of the fight in the dog."

~General Dwight Eisenhower

"Our greatest weakness lies in giving up.

The most certain way to succeed 

is always to try just one more time."

~Thomas A. Edison

"The harder the conflict, 

the more glorious the triumph.

What we obtain too cheap,

we esteem too lightly;

it is dearness only that gives everything its value.

I love the man that can smile in trouble, 

that can gather strength from distress and grow brave by reflection.

'Tis the business of little minds to shrink;

but he whose heart is firm,

and whose conscience approves his conduct, 

will pursue his principles unto death."

~Thomas Paine

"The miracle, or the power,

that elevates the few is to be found in their industry,

application, and perseverance 

under the prompting of a brave, determined spirit."

~Mark Twain

"Press on! A better fate awaits thee."

~Victor Hugo

 

Thank Goodness!

We got to see Little Miss Sunshine on Saturday AND Sunday!

Love that girl!

Trying to get back in the swing of things.

Davis went back to school today.

He called me no less than four times before 1 pm.

We took him out of his last period classes

(since he has A and B days).

We are hoping that will help him

 make it through the rest of the year.

Night's are still the hardest.

"What do I do?"

He asks because the voices are loud and scary

and it's hard for his mind to settle down.

"What do I do?"

He repeats over and over.

Tonight he added, 

"I wish I could die."

I'm so sorry, Davis.

It will be ok .

I try to comfort that 6 foot 3 inch

 youngest son of mine.

Please, let it be ok.

It's almost over.

Jeff rented a Harley Davidson motorcycle on Wednesday.

He took Davis on a short ride 

and then rode by himself and loved every minute of it

(while I worried the whole entire time).

Davis and I played in the ocean just outside our hotel.

Today we went to a sweet tiny Zoo.

It's called Pana'ewa Rainforest Zoo and Gardens.

It was free and beautiful.

I forgot my phone.

We then went to a really really neat place.

It's called Ahalanui Beach Park.
Also free and beautiful.

An amazing natural lava swimming pool.

It is right next to the ocean and it is quite protected

but enough water gets in to keep it fresh

and enough water is heated via lava

to keep it warm.

It was a little freaky for me

(it's heated by lava! Where is that lava!)

but not enough to keep me out.

It was so amazing!

Davis had a rough day today.

We will be home soon.

He will be happy to be back.

I will miss this beautiful place.

I haven't had tons of time to check out the computer

but here are a few things I found that I love:

Sometimes I do feel like a stalker looking in homes.

Hello! I have two pictures of my pets here!

Something intrigues me about this and this.

And this!

Finding Treasures.

Davis has been wanting to try this boat/bike thing he saw on the beach

almost from the moment we arrived.

Yesterday Davis and Jeff rented the contraption

and Davis was done in five minutes.

He tries so hard to be brave and try new things.

Jeff pedaled and pedaled that thing around 

to get our moneys worth.

He said it wasn't as hard as it looks.

We tried to find a bbq restaurant we read about in a travel book

and found a cute (in an old vintage style building),

funky (old tables-cool lanterns),

amazing restaurant

called Allen's Table in it's place.
In Waimea, Hawaii.

The food was a work of art

and a culinary-gastrological masterpiece!

I can't get that place out of my head

(Jeff says we can go back for dinner tonight 

and lunch on Friday

because I said we HAVE to go back twice

before we leave).

We found an amazing beach called 

Hapuna Beach

(Davis also talked with a guy using a metal detector

which is his new found obsession).

We are going back there too.

Happy Birthday, Jeff!

Jeff's Birthday was yesterday.

We decided we would drive to the most southern tip of the island.

It so happens to be called South Point.

It's spectacular with its expanse of fields and meadows.

Wind blown bent over trees dot the landscape.

Giant windmills line up in three rows.

The first row is rusted and not moving.

The last row is blowing in the wind 

like little colorful plastic pinwheels.

We explored the cliffs near the ocean

and marveled at the power of the ocean as it

shot sprays of crystal clear water high in the air

and watched the level of the water change nearly 10 feet

against the sides of the massive black rock.

We learned that this place likely 

was the site of the first Hawaiian arrival on the island.

We talked about the many rock walls that crisscross the area

that were made hundreds of years ago.

We had an adventure for Jeff's birthday

and ended up at Bubba Gumps Restaurant for dinner

with the best views possible.

Loved it all!